


Judgement

by boatsaplenty



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Fix-It of Sorts, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Morally Ambiguous Character, Multi, Nightmares, Possessive Behavior, Self-Denial, Slow Burn, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unreliable Narrator, jet has problems and competitiveness to spare, sokka is more inspiring than he knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:22:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22669237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boatsaplenty/pseuds/boatsaplenty
Summary: The Freedom Fighters were composed of young people from all different walks of life joined together to fight the Fire Nation in a way that official armies couldn’t or wouldn’t. Or rather, united under Jet. And that was mostly by design. He was a young man with a mission, who’s addictive charisma and force of will could charm nearly anyone into his ranks.Which is why it came as a surprise when the warrior spurned Jet so fiercely from the outset.If anything that only made him more interesting.-commission fic.
Relationships: Jet/Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68





	Judgement

**Author's Note:**

  * For [courierhawk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/courierhawk/gifts).



> finally get the chance to tackle an underappreciated gem of a ship and Jet's issues at the same time.
> 
> Commission but I was never totally on-board with Jet's canon "redemption" either. It definitely felt like it was missing something.

\--

Deep in the forests of the Earth Kingdom, a group of very unusual rebels operated. Despite their youth and small numbers, the group had been determinedly harrying the Fire Nation for quite a long time now, including raiding supply lines and setting well-timed ambushes for invading squads. And so far, had yet to suffer a single real loss. 

It was rare for them to have to retreat and leave a job unfinished. That was because their leader was the type to think things through in detail, and knew how to weigh the odds of success. 

In the broader scheme of things, Jet was a nobody. 

He had no homeland that he remembered or could return to, and his family line was common as anyone else’s. But the day he lost all that, Jet obtained an intensity of will that few others had. He had yet to underestimate his enemy’s fighting force, or go into battle without every possibility accounted for. (Not yet, at least.) He was no bender, a detail that did not go unnoticed by his enemies and in turn, an attention exploited by Jet himself. 

Not only that, there was a strange kind of charisma about the young man, something that drew fighter and those seeking resistance to his side. They wanted to follow him. 

Intelligent that he was, Jet was able to realize this for himself. 

He was all too aware of the Freedom Fighters’ adoration for him, and how convenient it was to his plans. Jet didn’t feel the need to tell them how much he knew. Better to keep it that way; the Fire Nation would go down all the quicker the more strongly people believed in him. 

So he gave his loyal compatriots what they wanted, and made them happy. He raided luxuries like candy and comfortable clothes for them, and raised their spirits with encouraging speeches when their energy began to flag. He even picked out the nicest spots to build hideouts, so that they would feel especially safe between missions. Jet knew he was burning a bit of time that could be used in fighting the Fire Nation, but he also knew that the more uplifted his troops’ morale, the stronger they would be when he needed them the most. 

It was like investing. What he gave the crew would pay off in double when the time came. 

If someone saw into the workings of Jet’s mind, they likely wouldn’t be comfortable with what they saw, regardless of the outwardly good-nature he imparted on his allies. 

Jet had his most prominent allies positioned in the most strategic roles, like pieces on a chessboard. He put The Duke on confusion and misdirection duty, handing traps and throwing bombs. Pipsqueak was his heavy, ideal for crowd control. Longshot was–naturally–the best choice for long-ranged support, and he assigned Smellerbee as the archer’s number two to effectively guard him.

Everything had its proper place. 

But if there was anything that gave Jet some genuine pleasure aside from destroying Fire Nation invaders, it was recruitment. There was just something so satisfying about bringing another dedicated fighter into the fold, and making them see things his way. 

That was why, when Jet came across the Avatar’s group during another raid, he was delighted. 

At first he didn’t know Aang’s true identity; Jet had the waterbender girl to thank for that information. He handled that knowledge in stride. Aang  _ was  _ an airbender after all, and observing his long-lost abilities in action was more than enough to draw attention. 

The boy himself was very young, but not the youngest he had ever brought under his wing, so that didn’t cause him to pause for very long. He had a lot of the innocent personality traits that his freedom fighters lacked, growing up in a war-torn world and having lost so much. Jet wondered where the boy could have grown up to be as carefree as he was, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find a way to use it to his advantage. And even if Aang hadn’t mastered the power of all elements, the mastery of airbending alone could turn the tides for him. 

Then there was the waterbender, Katara, and what she brought to the table. Though he had never met someone from the Water Tribe before, let alone a waterbender, the renegade had heard stories of the Water Tribe’s battles against the Fire Nation and it had piqued his interest. Right from the outset Jet could see that she had a strong personality, who couldn’t be pushed around. So he decided that employing his charm was the way to bring her around. When Jet saw the look on Katara’s face upon showing off his hidden outpost, he was certain of success.

Then there was her brother, the warrior… Jet was at a bit of a loss there.

Sokka didn’t immediately come off as someone who Jet could use besides just to make sure Katara and Aang didn’t bail on him, and the best way to deal with his aggressive jibes was to ignore him. The fact that the young man treated him so poorly right from the beginning was interesting in some respects, (it was unusual for renegade to experience at least) but Jet dismissed it when he realized it could just be petty jealousy.

It was a good enough explanation, and fit Sokka’s attitude… At least at first. 

Then he invited his new guests to the Freedom Fighters’ celebratory dinner and saw something that started to change his opinion, for the better as far as he was concerned. 

While splurging on stolen supplies, Jet eventually saw fit to give his crew another speech to cheer them on. It wasn’t an unusual action, but as long as he changed it up from time to time (and referenced recent accomplishments), the group at large could rest easy that their leader appreciated their work. “Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine,” Jet announced, and the sharp satisfaction in his voice was all too real, “I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face, when the Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey.” Their youngest fighter took the praise with pride, taking a victory run around the table and knowing his success as he should. 

As the crowd hollered in solidarity, Jet paused instinctually as he felt a heavy stare burn into his back. Subtly, he swept his eyes across the crowd to find Sokka staring at him. Jet shouldn’t be surprised; the warrior had made it explicitly clear he didn’t didn’t care for the renegade. But...there was something different about the look on his face. 

There was a wary, analytical weight in his expression that stood out. It didn't fit with the profile Jet had built for him. A facade? 

He was intrigued despite himself and had to know more. Jet finished his speech and strolled over to where his new guests were seated while his followers relaxed, plopping down in between Katara and her brother. The boy in question immediately started viewing him with suspicion, but Jet was content to brush him off for now, basking in the praise of his allies. 

It was at this point that Katara dropped that vital information about Aang being the real-deal Avatar. Jet rolled with that revelation, and in the process found himself thinking of all the ways that kind of power would be useful for a mission. Including one in particular that he didn’t have the tools for until now, “So I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle.”

However, that was the moment that Sokka made his objections known again, “Unfortunately we have to leave tonight.” He didn’t bother to explain beyond that, and tried to punctuate his point by getting to his feet, obviously intending to leave. Clearly under the dead-set impression that his sister and friend would follow him if he went through with it. Despite how enamored the other two were, there was still the possibility they would go through with it, objections notwithstanding. 

Jet made sure to throw a wrench into the works right away, just in case. “Sokka, you're kidding me!” He spoke, conveying surprised letdown, “I needed you on an important mission tomorrow.”

The young man halted in his tracks then, just as planned. He shot a look at Jet over his shoulder, one that was equal parts suspicious and curious. Jet would have loved to know what was going through the other boy's head at that moment, confronted with this after Jet had been basically ignoring him for the better part of the day. "What kind of mission?"

Just like what Jet was hoping for. 

He rose from his seat, shooting a lazy wave to Aang and Katara before making his way over to the warrior. The rebel led Sokka away from the group (accompanied by a friendly hand on his shoulder that Sokka quickly shrugged off), lowering his voice to convey some privacy. "I've been planning for some time to launch a raid on a nearby Fire Nation encampment soon, one that’s quite a bit bigger than the one you guys saw. Problem is, I’m missing a key member of my scouting party, so I need one more to fill the empty slot…” Jet began, setting the scene.

The truth was that Jet really didn't need any more help for a mission this simple, but he wanted to do a bit more observation. Sokka didn't seem like much at first, but now the rebel's interest was piqued, and he wanted to see how he ran with Jet working with him instead of against him. 

Jet explained how he was planning a stealthy run into Fire Nation territory and get the lay of the land. How he needed warriors who were quick on the fly and required little extra baggage. He watched with sly eyes as Sokka’s expression shifted between wariness and some more careful consideration. If what Jet was starting to suspect about the other boy was true, Sokka likely hadn’t fallen for it–at least not completely–but curiosity was enough for Jet to work with. He’d get plenty of chances to collect material and bend his opinion while they took on the mission. 

Sokka’s nod of acceptance was all he needed to work his way up to the next phase. 

The following morning getting ready for the scouting trip, Jet got to watch closely as Sokka prepared carefully. The previous day meeting him, the Water Tribe warrior came off as off-balance, even clumsy, as he tried to hold his own in the forest. Now though he almost looked like a completely different person, focused and efficient as he checked and sharpened his weaponry, and seriously looking over the route Jet had mapped out. More and more Jet was beginning to wonder if the young man he met earlier was just a mask, and this was the real side. Maybe he just needed the right kind of encouragement to start showing his true colors. 

Whatever it was, Jet could collect all the muscle-bound or skilled henchmen that he wanted, but someone with a real brain was a real haul. Especially if Sokka was actually like him. 

He might even be able to fill the position of Second that Jet had left open all this time. 

When they finally departed the camp, and made their way deeper into the woods, things began to take an unexpected turn. Jet was satisfied with Sokka's ability to learn quickly with traversing the forest (a Water Triber could not have been used to this kind of terrain after all), and his trick with the knife was an impressive bit of knowledge as well. Even if his actual combat could use some work, that was always something that could be fixed with some applied training. Jet's initial analysis of the warrior was turning out to be off-base and he was plenty happy about that. 

But then the old man wandered into view, and in a fit of rage following that encounter, Jet almost took back every positive thing he thought about Sokka in a manner of seconds. 

Putting the Fire Nation in their place was what Jet was good at, and it was something he enjoyed. But no sooner had he begun laying into the red-clothed trespasser, the renegade was caught unawares. He hadn’t even managed to really get started when he was interrupted by Sokka’s club catching hold of his leg before he could go any further. His shout was somehow both angry and disappointed (what had he been expecting really), “Jet, he's just an old man!”

Off-balanced by the unexpected interference, Jet wrangled himself free and planted his foot into the ground with a stomp, “He's Fire Nation!” He shouldn’t need an explanation for his actions other than that. Turning to Smellerbee, Jet barked out instead, “Search him!”

While his  _ loyal  _ freedom fighters dutifully began to carry out his orders, Sokka’s objections remained insistent, “But he's not hurting anyone!” As though it were obvious, like Jet was  _ blind _ .

Maybe Jet shouldn’t have been so caught off guard to have Sokka so openly defying him; he’d made his distaste clear enough for all to see the previous day. But he was making good progress with the warrior, and his worth as a recruit had risen so much. He didn’t want to suddenly give up on Sokka just because he was getting unnecessarily riled up again. Jet knew his history though, thanks to his sister for that, “Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother?” Sokka’s face grew distant, and he didn’t respond. “Remember why you fight!” But with every frustrated message sent, what Jet really wanted to say was:  _ ‘fall in line'. _

Regardless, Jet wasn’t going to stop just because of Sokka’s issues, so he only justified himself simply and pushed past the other boy back into the forest once they had what they wanted. 

The entire way back (the Water Triber following silently behind them at a distance), Jet was already planning on how to smooth over what happened. Initially, he'd been furious, but knew now was the time to be calm and rebuild his mask. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep a hold of Aang and Katara when Sokka inevitably broke his story. And even then, Jet still believed he could bring Sokka around if he played his cards right. 

Jet had never failed to snag a recruit he wanted, and he wasn't about to start then.

As it was, it turned out that he was completely right about the warrior turning around and snitching to his friends the moment he had the opportunity. Thankfully, Katara was generous and forward enough to get his side of the story before believing him. “Sokka—you told them what happened but you didn't mention that the guy was Fire Nation?” Jet received them in his well-lit hut, resting comfortably on his hanging cot as he planned out how to shred Sokka’s little story about him. While Aang and Katara seemed perfectly at ease, Sokka was standing as far away from him as possible, near the exit. His clear and open disgust was sad in its own way. 

“No, he conveniently left that part out,” Katara said pointedly, crossing her arms and staring at her brother. Jet’s lips quirked faintly at her small display of disloyalty. He wasn’t banking on turning the others against him but maybe the charm worked better on her than Jet expected.

“Fine! But even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian,” The warrior defended himself.

“He was an assassin, Sokka.” Jet pulls out a knife and thrust it into a nearby block of wood. The assassin’s dagger is old, but well taken care of. Jet almost wants to thank Sokka for giving him the excuse to take it out again after so long. Almost. “See? There's a compartment for poison in the knife,” He opened the compartment to reveal a small glass tube filled with red liquid. To those in the know, it was often called Cherry Venom. Historically used both by the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, it generally wasn’t fatal to those inflicted but instead induced a paralytic shock that left the victim completely helpless and open to any form of attack. But they didn’t need to know that. The presence of the poison alone was enough to sway minds without knowing the history behind it. “He was sent to eliminate me—you helped save my life, Sokka.”

“I knew there was an explanation,” Katara almost seemed to sigh in relief, and all at once, the tension that had built up in her faded away. It was wild how open she was about her feelings.

Sokka however, didn’t take the bait. “I didn't see any knife!”

Jet tried for the obvious angle, “That's because he was concealing it.”

“See Sokka? I'm sure you just didn't notice the knife,” His sister tried to calm him down. It was interesting seeing how well she took to the story. She wasn’t even there to know the difference. But then, Jet was no amateur when it came to this type of thing. 

“There was no knife!” Sokka snapped, finally losing his temper that had been steadily fraying to pieces all this time. “I'm going back to the hut and packing my things,” He stormed out, tossing the curtained door contemptuously to the side as he walked. 

Jet watched him leave closely, frustrated but still willing to be patient. Sokka was too much of a mess to try to deal with at this point; maybe he’d be more open to reason after the mission when Jet had some more time to relax and plan for the next target, but not now. As it was, it was probably better to focus on the two he’d successfully reeled in and make use of the Avatar and Katara’s abilities while they were still good and sympathetic to his cause instead of worrying over Sokka’s revolted stance. “Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet. I really need your help.”

Aang was quick to speak, eager to please in spite of the blow with his friend, “What can we do?”

Jet smiled disarmingly; he had been waiting for those words. "I'm glad you asked…"

* * *

Jet sent the Avatar and Katara on their way after giving them his rendezvous directions and a basic rundown of the plan (or at least, their version of what would happen). The whole time the suggestion of a smirk was hidden behind his eyes. 

His plan wasn't relatively complicated, in fact, it was nearly too 'blunt' for his tastes. But what mattered was that the Fire Nation would never see it coming. No matter how well-stocked the encampment in town was, they couldn't fight against the river. Aang and Katara would be striking a great blow against the Fire Nation soon enough, even if they didn't know it. 

But the current necessity was relaying his orders to his personal circle to make sure everything went off without a hitch. Filling up the reservoir would be easy now that he had two (sort of) waterbenders on his side, placing the explosives would be mere tedium, and the final spark would be just as effortless. But the timing had to be exacting. Jet said as much when his group gathered around him overlooking the dam, “Now listen—you are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive.”

The Duke’s face creased with worry and he slid off the wagon, “But what about the people in the town—won't they get wiped out too?” Jet thought something like this might happen; the boy was still pretty innocent after all. There was a reason why he'd kept the details of this mission on the down-low, only letting his inner circle in on the whole plan. Most of the crew outside of that weren't ready for this, for the sacrifice expected of war, but Jet had been aiming to really bring The Duke into the fold for some time now. He was young and conflicted, but the fighter knew how to set things straight for him. 

Jet placed a hand on the younger fighter’s shoulder, doing his best attempt at comfort, “Look Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation.” There were a lot of things one had to do in a real war. It might take some doing to make some people realize that, but Jet felt that he had the technique down by now. Proving him right, The Duke offered no more objections to the plan, nodding quietly and stepping back. “Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal—got it?”

But as it turned out, things didn’t progress quite as smoothly as he anticipated. 

Only moments later, Jet got a signal for silence and a gesture into the woods. Someone else was nearby, watching them. Jet gave a jerk of his head to have someone check it out, but he already had a sneaking suspicion of what they would find. The rebel was less than surprised to find that Sokka was the one his crew pulled into the open, a glare plastered on his face. Regardless, Jet welcomed him loftily, “Sokka. I'm glad you decided to join us.”

“I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town,” Sokka bit out sharply, wasting no time at all. Not that it was particularly surprising. Jet suspected that he’d have already caught the meat of the exchange, what with the fierce expression on his face. 

Still, his stubbornness was getting irritating. “Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation.”

Even so, the warrior continued to ignore him, fighting against his words, “There are people living there Jet—mothers and fathers and children!” The populace of that town were indeed mostly Earth Kingdom, Jet had seen that. What he didn’t mention to anyone was that he had also seen a fair bit of evidence that the two nations had been mixing together within that town, becoming something that was utterly alien and new. And the realization of what that meant was baffling; it was not something that the rebel could even put a name to or understand for himself.

But he wasn’t going to say that in front of his men. Jet had to stay committed to his goals, and so did his crew. His response was cold, “We can't win without making some sacrifices.”

“You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!” Sokka snapped, and his knuckles turned white with strain.

Jet didn’t feel too bad about that part to be honest. For all that so many of his Freedom Fighters were forged to be strong at such young ages, Aang and Katara still had hearts that were too soft for his line of work. Maybe in time they would overcome that flaw, but at the moment their strengths lay in their powerful bending on the front lines. And the fighters whose skills lay in planning and leading were in short supply. Speaking of which… “Because they don't understand the demands of war,” Jet paused, leaning forward slightly, “Not like you and I do.”

Sokka’s voice was steady, unwavering when he spoke next, “I do understand. I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want.” It was his lack of doubt rather than anger that made the sentence hit home. Strangely, the words themselves struck a chord of sorts.   


_ Apparently I didn’t do enough, given how stubborn you are, Sokka. _

How disappointing. As much as the rebel wanted to add him to the mix, Sokka was just too much of a liability with him continuously getting in the way. Jet sighed in resignation, and his regret with the end result was genuine, “I was hoping you'd have an open mind, but I can see you've made your choice.”

At a gesture from their leader, Pipsqueak and Smellerbee grabbed Sokka and held him in place. Jet quickly pinned his wrist with the hook of one of his blades, before the other boy could even try to slip away. “I can't let you warn Katara and Aang,” Jet told him in no uncertain tones, watching as the other two bound the warrior’s hands. “Take him for a walk–a long walk.”

“You can't do this!” Sokka yelled, his eyes are alight with a fierce, judgmental light. He was so alive with energy that Jet almost felt bad for watching him get dragged away. 

Instead, he smiled, an ironic encouragement escaping his lips, “Cheer up, Sokka. We're gonna win a great victory against the Fire Nation today.” Jet waited until the young warrior was completely out of sight before turning his attention back to the dam.

Everything was already in place. He’d gathered more than enough explosives to get the job done, adding extra to their initial estimate just to make doubly sure that the dam would actually blow. The only thing left to do would be to meet up with Aang and Katara and instruct them on how to fill the reservoir for him. Which he suspected would be an easy enough task. Unlike their oh-so-spirited leader, the Avatar and waterbender girl were open and trusting. 

That remained to be the case when Jet met up with them at the dried up riverbank. Katara, her eyes calm and apologetic, cut in before the rebel could go in-depth about what they needed to do. “Jet, I'm sorry about how Sokka's been acting.” 

Jet just shrugged it off, breezily. He dropped a simple explanation that Sokka had already apologized to him. (Funny idea that. It was hard to imagine Sokka saying those words to his face, even if Jet would have actually enjoyed hearing them.) The two of them seemed somewhat doubtful at first, and for good reason considering the state Sokka was in the last time they’d seen him. But all he had to do to put things right was prod Katara with the implication that she was responsible for her brother’s abrupt change of heart and things quickly fell into place. 

The girl’s face softened. For all that she and Sokka had disagreed, she still cared. If he didn’t have a duty, a job to do, Jet might have felt guilty for how’d he’d strung her along. 

Katara really was a nice girl.

But Jet didn’t need her kindness nearly as much as he needed her power. 

“All right, we're here,” The rebel announced, leading Katara and Aang out to where the underground reservoir was waiting for them. “Underground water's trying to escape through these vents. I need you guys to help it along.”

She hesitated, eyes passing over the vents doubtfully. “...I've never used bending on water I can't see. I don't know…” She was balking, had to be helped along. 

Jet placed his hands on her shoulders and encouraged her in a sure voice, counting on his influence to make the words really stick, “Katara. You can do this.”

Aang piped up, his big grey eyes openly announcing that he wanted to help. “What about me?”

“I know the Avatar can do this.” Jet laughed for a moment and eased up to watch them. He observed the smooth push and pull of their movements as they reached for the unseen water below, thinking. Benders were an interesting lot; Jet couldn’t imagine how it felt, but he had the impression that he’d put it to use better than some of the people he’d run across. Sometimes it just felt like when benders focused so heavily on their precious element, they became blind to other things. It seemed fitting that the one nonbender in this little group was the one expressing suspicion of him. His thoughts refocused as with a flourish and a splash, water erupted out of the geyser to flow down the incline. “Yes! Good job! This river empties into the reservoir–a few more geysers and it'll be full. You two keep it up—I'll go check on things at the reservoir.”

Katara, well caught up in her own excitement over the achievement, spoke up quickly to stop him from leaving ”When we're done we'll meet you over there.”

Jet hesitated, a jolt of warning shooting through him. It would not be a good idea for the two of them to show up at the wrong time. It would absolutely ruin everything. “Actually...probably better if you meet me back at the hideout when you're done.” Jet ducked out just after, before Katara could think up a reason to contradict him or follow after. 

He headed back to the dam, overseeing the last of the explosives being loaded up for the trek over to the dam. Jet waited there, observing with a crooked smile how the faint trickle of water gathered beyond the dam slowly started to grow. More and more, until the reservoir began to truly fill. It was almost time. But, unexpectedly, Jet was tipped off by the sound of footsteps somewhere in the woods behind him. The rebel ducked into the surrounding forest line, just to be sure this wouldn’t be a problem. He wasn’t expecting anybody to show up then, and for a moment, Jet thought that maybe Sokka had slipped his crew to confront him again.

But then two young figures stepped into view where they weren’t supposed to be and Jet ground his teeth in restrained frustration. 

They didn’t do what he told them. 

The waterbender and the young Avatar overlooked the edge of the cliff face, watching as the barrels were stacked into place. They were almost ready for blasting, and no one should be here to see it. As if to immediately punish Jet for his suspicions, the next words Aang spoke were pointing them out, “Hey, those are the red barrels he got from the Fire Nation."

After those few words, it didn’t take long for the situation to completely spiral out of control. The exchange between Aang and Katara (him dawning on the realization and her in denial of what was before her eyes.)

Aang knew what he was planning to do, and he wasn't going to sit idly. Jet's jaw tensed in frustration, knowing that he would have to step in. What passed for a verbal spar against Sokka had been fun and interesting in its own way, but the Avatar? Aang may have been a kid but that didn't mean he'd be an easy target. No, all he had to do was buy some time.

Jet stood and drew out his blades just as he heard the boy's words, “I've gotta stop him."

The boy readied his glider and bolted for the edge, blind to the waterbender girl's doubtful speech to his back, "But...Jet wouldn't do that." In mere moments, he would be soaring down to the valley, ready to ruin ages of preparation. Ruining the impending defeat of the Fire Nation here. That couldn't be allowed.

Jet didn’t waste another moment to stop him, throwing himself into the open before either could see him coming. Quick as a flash, he yanked the glider from Aang's hands before he could take off, leaving the boy to be forced to catch himself with airbending. He steadied himself and faced two pairs of shocked eyes and spoke determinedly, “Yes I would."

“Jet...why?” 

The curiously betrayed tone of her voice was so innocent Jet just had to sigh. She knew this, had to. “Katara, you would too if you just stopped to think. Think about what the Fire Nation did to your mother–we can't let them do that to anyone else, ever again.”

And yet, even she didn’t step down the road he’d laid. Her outrage was even shorter than the stiffened silence that Sokka had offered when Jet brought up their family. “This isn't the answer!”

“I want you to understand me Katara,” Jet reasoned, thinking about how useful and trusting she’d been up to this point, how much she could help him. It was enough that he’d lost Sokka, but his waterbender sister should have the willpower to understand, if not the logic he wanted. The frustration was enough that Jet made one fatal mistake and brought up the boy in question, “I thought your brother would understand, but–”

He saw his mistake the moment the young girl’s eyes watered with a dawning fear of what he could’ve done. “Where's Sokka?”

She lowered her head, emotion building in her tense form and clenched fists. Katara had the wrong impression, he could tell her that. Maybe he could have stopped what would come next if Jet spoke up just a little quicker, but instead, his speaking of her name fell on deaf ears. Katara’s next response was a yell of rage, and before he could move out of the way, she drew out the water from her flask and shoved him to the ground with it. 

From there, everything exploded into action. Jet found himself embroiled in Aang’s desperate effort to retrieve his glider, combating powerful gusts of wind that threw his footing into disarray and forced him to back off. The game of keep-away took them atop the trees, leaves stripped and blow from their branches in the Avatar’s bursts of wind. Eventually, however, Jet was brought back down to the earth where the waterbender was waiting for him. 

Katara didn’t hesitate when the opportunity struck, much to his off-guard dismay. Water from her flash upset Jet’s balance, and in another instant, he found that there was ice crawling up his boots. It was too late to move aside to stop the inevitable. Water frozen by Katara’s gesture stilled his limbs, adhering the rebel up against the tree behind him. “Why, Jet?” She glared at him accusingly, fishing for an explanation other than what he already gave her, “I can't believe I trusted you. You lied to me–you're sick and I trusted you!”

Jet said nothing. He had no regrets. What was he supposed to tell her and the Avatar that would satisfy them? Besides, it wasn’t like they had even  _ earned  _ it anyway. The only reason they had seen the truth was out of pure, dumb luck anyway. They hadn’t  _ seen through him _ ; they’d only been in the right place at the right time. 

It was at that moment, like one cue, that Jet heard the call. His team’s signal, telling him that the preparations were complete. He didn’t even hesitate to answer. 

Katara jolted, her eyes wide as she stared at him, “What are you doing?”

She knew of course. Jet could see it in her eyes, how badly they’d failed. “You're too late.”

Katara yelled in distress, and the Avatar took his too-late chance, running for the cliff with his glider in hand. But it was useless, the tool was already too damaged to be of any use to him, and Aang simply crashed to the ground without getting anywhere. He and the waterbender looked out over the cliff side, utterly desperate, “Sokka's still out there–he's our only chance.”

The girl begged for her brother to show up in the nick of time to stop the destruction, not knowing that Jet had already dealt with that snag. “Come on, Sokka. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Please.” 

Jet didn’t bother to tell her that her wishes were in vain. Two of his most trusted were currently keeping Sokka company right now until they met up again. And maybe when all of this was said and done, and the Fire Nation were wiped off the face of this valley, Sokka would understand what a terrible mistake it was to have stood against him. Jet watched as Longshot’s arrow entered his sight, arching down towards the dam, unimpeded. It was over. 

The explosion crashed through the air like thunder, thousands of gallons of water rushing through the shattered stone barrier that was once a mighty dam. The water was unrelenting, flowing through the natural trench in the valley straight for the town. As certain as the sun, the ensuing waves crashed against the buildings, crushing everything beneath them. Nothing could survive a tide like that, and everyone who saw could see that face plain as day. 

Aang stared at the devastation with a look of horror, “Sokka didn't make it in time.”

“All those people…” Katara’s voice is twisted with grief and regret. He’s not sure what the regret’s for; was it simply the regret of having come too late, or the knowledge of how trusting she’d been. Not that it really mattered in the end. Especially not when the distressed young girl decided to turn her gaze away from the water to yell at him, “Jet–you monster!”

Jet was stone-faced. No point keeping his mask up now, he supposed. “This was a victory, Katara. Remember that. The Fire Nation is gone and this valley will be safe.”

But he was completely blind-sided by what came next. 

“It will be safe—without you.” That voice...no… Jet reeled, jerking up his head to see the very object of his frustrations rise into view, sitting astride a great flying bison. Sokka. Calm, put together, not like the visage of a warrior who’d failed, but rather… Jet ignored the exaltations from Katara and Aang in their excitement to see him, a dread rising in his mind. There was a quiet victory in Sokka’s composure, his lack of righteous fury. In another moment, Sokka made that suspicion all too real, “I warned the villagers of your plan, just in time.”

“What!” He shouted, hardly able to believe that Sokka could have foiled his predictions like this. Escaping his crew, going to the village instead of the dam… Why didn’t Jet plan for this?

Sokka spoke of his actions, how he’d  _ ruined everything,  _ and the rebel couldn’t believe his ears. “At first they didn't believe me. The Fire Nation soldiers assumed I was a spy. But one man vouched for me–the old man you attacked. He urged them to trust me, and we got everyone out in time.” There was a push in his voice, an urging to understand. Jet refused to acknowledge it. 

“Sokka, you fool! We could've freed this valley!”

The anger in the warrior’s words was immediate, “Who would be free–everyone would be dead.”

But Jet couldn’t listen to him. How could he possibly call himself a part of this war when he couldn’t even cut down an occupying force? He’d chosen to trust  _ the Fire Nation  _ over a member of the resistance standing against them. “You traitor!”

Sokka stilled, and the look on his face was something that Jet simply couldn’t understand. The anger melted away, replaced by something that he had no name for...except for pity. “No, Jet. You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people.” Sokka looked down on him with those judging blue eyes that had seen through him, that had always seen through him. 

_ Don’t look at me like that. Don’t you dare.  _

He couldn’t meet those eyes. Jet looked away, making one last-ditch attempt to sway the waterbender, though he already knew it was all over. “Katara. Please–help me.”

The girl had her back to him, and didn’t turn around. She was done with him. “Goodbye Jet.”

They left him there, discarded. The legend of a bison disappeared across a distant horizon, out of his life. Probably for good. Jet ground his teeth, holding onto the strength of his anger above all else. But even then, he still couldn’t get Sokka’s blue eyes out of his head.

He had been judged, and had been found wanting. 

* * *

It was a warm, sunny day in the Earth Kingdom and the layer of ice was thin. Not too much time passed before the seal around his body weakened and melted enough for Jet to struggle his way out of it. He was free from Katara’s snare, but soaked to the bone. 

Wet and defeated, Jet trudged slowly back to base, refusing to think too hard about what happened. If he started getting introspective, started turning the moment over in his mind and what led up to it, Jet knew he would remember those eyes. He sank his teeth into his lip until it bled, and the feelings of anger comforted him like an old friend amid  _ his  _ betrayal. Jet shook his head, ignoring the phantom voice in his mind, trusting himself to habit as he grabbed a hold of the rope pulley and waited as the counterweight sent him steadily upward into the treetops. All the rebel needed right now was to return home, dry off, and rest his exhausted body. 

Everything else could wait. 

He knew that the village knowing about his failed plan meant the Fire Nation would be searching the woods now, hunting for them. But there was still time before they’d have to switch hideouts. He could stand to rest until then. But Jet wasn’t sure how to break the news to his crew.

Maybe he should lie. 

The villagers must be long gone by now. From this distance, no one would know they got away. It wouldn’t be impossible to say that a stray Fire Nation scout heard what happened and as a result, they’d have to change locations. But there was something wrong with that solution, some niggling feeling nagging at his brain as to why that wasn’t a good idea. 

But Jet didn’t get enough time to really find out on his own. Because, when he stepped back into the hideout, letting go of the rope in his hand, he realized that there was the noise of a raucous that became immediately obvious the moment he entered the area. People were shouting at each other in some kind of argument, and the rebel instantly recognized the voices of those involved. What was going on so soon after the (failed) mission?

“You have to listen! We have to stick together, at least for now!” Smellerbee’s voice. Stick together? What were they talking about? Could someone have been having doubts?

Jet moved slowly, quietly. Part of him was acutely aware that this shouting had broken out without him present. It was ridiculous to think that his crew would so suddenly decide to have doubts now, when they hadn’t told him anything before. The group trusted him, they  _ relied  _ on him. They had to be referring to something else. A Fire Nation patrol spotted, perhaps?

“Stick together? That’s a laugh,” Another voice pitched in. Sneers, and from the tone in the boy’s voice, he was currently living up to his chosen nickname. “I came here because I wanted to help free the Earth Kingdom, not get run down like an animal thanks to the Avatar.” That sentence caused Jet to freeze in his tracks. What? What was he talking about? “That Water Tribe jerk was with the Avatar! When the other colonies find out about what we did–!”

_ How did he know about that.  _

Another voice in the crowd of gathered kids piped up before he could react, “We’re here to fight the firebenders, not the Avatar! I’m not getting hunted down by the Fire Nation  _ and  _ Earth Kingdom just because Jet has a death wish!”

“You’re mistaken,” That was Smellerbee again, and her protest was the only thing distracting Jet from the sharp pain of his nails in his palms and the constant thought of  _ ‘how did they know?’  _

This could only happen if they had been there when it all went down, and seen the fight. Jet had been careful to only include in the plan those who were ready for shouldering that responsibility. So how? 

Still his head jerked up as the rough girl was still addressing the group, "The only reason we got this far was because we stuck together as a team. Even if you disagree with what Jet did, now's not the time for us to tear each other apart like this."

Even so, the other boy was insistent, addressing not only her, but all the gathered revolutionaries, “You all heard what Pipsqueak and The Duke relayed to us. Jet was willing to endanger all of us for the  _ mission.  _ The Avatar? Give me a break, I’m not that crazy!”

And the argument continued onward, words being thrown back and forth as Jet’s hold on the Freedom Fighters drew closer and closer to crumbling. Still, in spite of that, Jet couldn’t help but fixate on the cause behind this whole mess. How they must have found out the truth.

Pipsqueak and...The Duke. 

The two of them were best friends, never far away from each other for long. But not disloyal, at least, Jet had never expected such behavior from them.

They told everyone? Jet was frozen; he’d thought that The Duke was nervous about this operation, but he was certain that he’d managed to calm the boy down. Unless… Wait, Pipsqueak had been one of the two charged with taking care of Sokka during the operation. The warrior must have managed to say something to shake him up and that information made it to The Duke. No, even worse than that, something that would make them go back to check on him...and see him down and defeated by the Avatar’s group. 

And it would likely mean that Sokka was at least indirectly responsible for this schism as well. 

There was the anger there, in that knowledge. The frustration of losing to the other boy like this. But at the same time, he felt strangely impressed. A twisted, bitter smile cracked Jet’s face. 

_ Wow, he really got me, huh.  _

“That’s enough, Smellerbee.” All voices suddenly silenced as Jet’s form stepped out into the open. Many of the younger children had never truly seen that intense look on his face. The tension emanating from him could be cut with a knife. 

His mask was finally stripped away. 

“If Sneers is so upset with my decisions, then he can go ahead and leave, along with anyone who wants to follow him.” The traditional casual grin or smirk was nowhere to be found. Instead, Jet gestured widely to the forest treetops behind with a loose gesture, “Go ahead. I’m not forcing you to be here, any of you. Never was. If you  _ don’t have the nerve  _ to fight the Fire Nation no matter the stakes, then I don’t need you.” 

Despite siding with Sneers, there was a sharp expression of shock on many of the children's’ faces, and it wasn’t hard to know the reason why. 

Jet protected them, trained them, some for over a year. None of them had any idea how he’d react to seeing the feeling of  _ betrayal  _ leaking from their actions. It was the first time he had ever openly expressed such views. The Freedom Fighters  _ did  _ work better as a group, and for long, their leader had done his best to assuage their doubts and give them good lives for that exact reason. 

But this wasn’t something he could fix. Jet knew full-well that Sneers objections weren’t going to go away, and part of the group would always be a little suspicious, even if he calmed their objections today. And he couldn’t have them as a liability. Sokka really had backed him into a corner. The best thing Jet could do now was to cut his losses, maybe start over. 

If only he could ignore the crawling in his gut, the sensation of failure, those eyes on him.

“Jet...you can’t be serious…” Even Smellerbee seemed to be caught off guard. She had probably expected him to try to calm the fight and patch things back together. At her side, Longshot hadn’t said a word the entire time, but he was stalwart, watching Jet warily. So he had his doubts as well. Well, it wasn’t as though Longshot had the right to complain, not when he was the one fire the defining shot. 

Still, Jet was set in his decision, “Go on. Get out of here.”

And they did. Sneers might have shouted some bitter words at him in the process, but Jet wasn’t really listening to him, or any of them for that matter. Parting words and objections from Smellerbee fell on deaf ears, washing over him like a tide. He was so on edge he was almost vibrating. Anger was surging inside, aching to be vented. It was seemingly perfectly cued when another one of the members at his side spoke up in a faint voice. “I’m leaving too.”

Jet whirled on his heel to face him down. It was The Duke. To be expected, the one who was responsible for the rest of the crew finding out and abandoning him. But the moment the snarl built up in his throat, Jet saw Pipsqueak edge in front of the smaller boy, protecting him from being approached. For some reason. He wasn’t going to attack the kid, even if Jet’s blood was boiling and he wanted someone to blame. “Of course,” Jet snapped, his facade shattered to the point that his anger showed clear on his face. “Running away from what you did?”

The young boy stiffened, and he looked at Jet like he couldn’t even recognize him. It took a moment, but his expression straightened out into something braver, “I...I’m sorry, Jet. But I think Sokka was right. I can’t cause the deaths of innocent people, even to fight firebenders.”

“Not everyone is strong enough to make sacrifices,” Jet growled in condemnation. 

The Duke shook his head, taking a few steps back away from him. He hesitated a second or two before the moment was broken, and the boy turned and left him. Jet wasn’t even surprised when Pipsqueak followed him, throwing his now former leader an anxious look and a mumbled apology before rushing off after The Duke. He knew without any confirmation from Smellerbee or Longshot that they wouldn’t be coming back. 

That left three. 

Jet stared around the hideout blankly, at the empty space where there was a crew no less than an hour ago. 

Who knew they were so quick to abandon a common goal. 

_ This was all Sokka’s fault.  _

Jet’s fist slammed into the wooden post next to him, bruising his knuckles and sending a sharp thrill of pain shooting through his body. He would have continued doing it until he bled if Smellerbee hadn’t grabbed him by the arm then, trying to drag him away from further violence, shouting at him. His head was in a haze, barely focused. Eventually, Jet wrenched himself free from her grip, stalking up the treetop path to his personal quarters, the two of them following him at a fair distance with wary eyes. 

As he slumped into his cot, exhausted, Jet couldn’t help but think about the crew that was once his Freedom Fighters. How much would they regret turning their backs on him, after everything he'd done for them? 

That thought was vaguely comforting, even as the judgement of blue eyes lingered in his dreams.


End file.
